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no, I quite like the 6th doctor. The only doctor I don't think is better than sliced bread is the first doctor. I'm sure lots of people disagree, and I understand his historical significance, I just don't care for Hartnell's portrayal. Every other doctor is absolutely great to me. There's just something about him that rubs me wrong, and I don't like him. It may be some of the Hartnell stories I heard before I saw any of his episodes flavoring my tastes.

Yeah, you can assume that for me. Colin Baker is my absolute least favorite Doctor, and that will include McGann.

Not his fault, I have a lot of respect for the actor - I blame the situation with Who at the time, and their desperate attempt to turn the Doctor into a dark character, which made no sense when you consider how they dressed him!

Colin Baker has risen in my estimation since I've heard so many of his Big Finish dramas, but for the TV run, Colin is my least fave.

I think there are two separate questions at work here. One is where he places with the general public and one is where he rates among DW fans.

I would tend to think among the general British viewing public he must be very near the bottom of the list, yeah. Just as a function of ratings, he's where a lot of people switched off. His brief and unheralded stay in the role didn't allow for any great amount of media to be generated about him, unlike the 7th and 8th Doctors. There was, for instance, no 6DA range of books, no great amount of comic material, no period of time when he was the "current" Doctor (even when the show wasn't actually in production). Until the very late 1990s, there really wasn't anything to judge him by BUT the televised appearances, and they are, by most everyone's account, uninspired. The ratings nosedive—and you can attribute it to whatever you like—tells one thing clearly: people switched his Doctor off.

Now, obsessive fans like us, who have experienced him in greater detail might well have had the time to form a different opinion, but we're atypical for the total number of people who would've encountered the Sixth Doctor. We've the luxury of audios, which frankly helps our perception of his visually offensive Doctor. We've seen the rise (and now fall) of some novelized fiction about him. There's more to his Doctor now, if you want to spend the time and money, to find it.

But judged solely on what was televised, you'd be hard-pressed to make an argument for him as an exemplar of what was good about Doctor Who. He's definitely not the kind of Doctor you could show to a complete newbie today with any hope of convincing him or her that Doctor Who is a great television show.

Can't say that Colin Baker was my least favorite. For me it will always be Sylvester McCoy. So many things were lacking (IMHO) in his portrayal of The Doctor.

As for Colin Baker, it was never any stretch for me to buy into the unstable regeneration rhetoric that was bandied about during his run. It only made him more interesting. He was the "Shock Jock Doc". I never knew what he'd say next, or how far he would go when he was on a roll, and that kept me watching in spite of some fairly dismal plot lines.

Most people say Colin Baker is better than the question asks and make a few excuses for his television work before hailing his work on Big Finish. Some then go on to state that Sylvester McCoy is their least favourite.

So I have to ask the question: Is nobody bothering with McCoys Big Finish work?

Personal opinion:

Syvester McCoy has done almost the same as Colin Baker.

His television portrayal was similarly hampered by bad treatment and he has expanded his role through Big Finish by a huge margin. Stories like The Master; The Settling, The Harvest, Live 34 and Colditz have been marvelous to listen to. So what gives?

If I had to single a Doctor out for failing to perform it would be Paul McGann. A reasonably poor movie followed by a very patchy Big Finish resume. Yet he seems to be able to walk on water. If Paul McGann had been a football manager with his win draw loss ratio then I think he would have been shortest odds on WIlliam Hills first manager to lose their job card!

If you guys out there are not listening to McCoys audios then I think you are missing something and if you are then I fail to see why the differential betwixt McCoy and Baker.
signed

On television Colin Baker was certainly my least favorite Doctor, I found him too annoying and actually unlikable. I always had a soft spot for Sylvester McCoy (something to do with Vision On I think). Reviewing them now I can see both had very weak story lines, but I still prefer Sylvester. McGann may come in last because a) I don't like the Movie plotline, though McGann's acting is okay b) He obviously wasn't good enough to get a second episode made.

On the BF Audio's I would probably rank McGann first then Sylvester/Baker as joint second with Davidson bringing up the rear.

His television portrayal was similarly hampered by bad treatment and he has expanded his role through Big Finish by a huge margin. Stories like The Master; The Settling, The Harvest, Live 34 and Colditz have been marvelous to listen to. So what gives?

I have to say that I have not heard any of Sylvester McCoy's BF audio episodes. I am probably missing out, from the sound of things. In fact, I haven't heard any BF productions at all.

I will endeavor to obtain some of the BF episodes. Thanks for the tip!

If I had to single a Doctor out for failing to perform it would be Paul McGann. A reasonably poor movie followed by a very patchy Big Finish resume. Yet he seems to be able to walk on water. If Paul McGann had been a football manager with his win draw loss ratio then I think he would have been shortest odds on WIlliam Hills first manager to lose their job card!

I dunno. I think McGann's work is spot on. I think he really has developed what could/should have been. The Chimes of Midnight is Fantastic and to me represents one of the best audios, if not better than amny/most of the 6th and 7th doctors televised adventures.

Both McCoy and C. Baker are superb as well on the audios, although i favor McGann over them.
If anything, I think Davison's audios are not up to par vs. his tlelvised performances...although i really like the Erimem character.

Finally, of course, these guys can only perform the material they are given and there are a few stinkers in the BF line...but it's a great way to get a new fix on a bygone doctor!

Choosing a "least favourite" Doctor for me is just as difficult has picking a "favourite" Doctor... So I won't. But having said that, my least favourite (televised) era for me would be McCoy. Not due to Sylvester McCoy or the 7th Doctor character himself... but the general unbelievable silliness that plagued so many of his stories (flying buses in space, candyman villians, constables in dressing draws, etc.). Not to say that there haven't been some stories that avoided the cartoon silliness seen elsewhere his era, there were. But it's these other incidents that drag his tenure as the Doctor down for me. Again, as already pointed out, I don't blame the actor or the character of the 7th Doctor, there is only so much he can do within the confines of the script and story given to him (and the execution of those stories).

So I can't say that he is my least favourite, but I will say his era has some of my least favourite stories in it.

The CB era was where I started to tune out of Dr Who, and at the time I thought the character was obnoxious. However, years passed and I started watching them again on UKTV Gold, and I really warmed to the character. I just think that giving him a story like the Twin Dilemma as the regeneration story, immediately after a classic story such as Caves of Androzani, was unforgiveable. I thought that Vengeance on Varos was a cracking story, and I feel a bit sad that I didn't give him a chance the first time around. I would also concur with other views expressed regarding the BF audios, he's really good (mind you, only heard Pier Pressure so far - but I really liked it).
I don't really like picking a least favourite, they're all great.